This research program seeks to elucidate the role of the basal ganglia in brain function, particularly with regard to normal and disordered behavior. Both clinical and experimental findings point to the participation of the basal ganglia in aspects of higher integrated behavior and in such crucial functions as changes in levels of consciousness as well as in aspects of motor function. It is our impression that the changes in motor function, in integrated behavior and in levels of consciousness which result from chemical, electrical or anatomical manipulation of the basal ganglia are different manifestations of related processes. We think, further, that the striatum functions importantly in the regulation of these diverse aspects of behavior. To test these ideas, it is proposed to manipulate nuclei of the basal ganglia by a variety of means and to observe the results of such procedures by recording changes in brain electrical activity, in behavior and in the chemical constitution of the basal ganglia and of related brain structures.